Funfetti Buttercream Frosting Food

FUNFETTI CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line four 7 inch pans or three 8 inch round pans with parchment rounds and grease with non-stick cooking spray.
• Mix 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 cups sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until fully combined.
• Mix in 1 cup of room temperature, unsalted butter slowly into the dry ingredients on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks like moist sand.
• Pour in 1 cup of egg whites and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in 1 1/2 cups buttermilk in two installments, on a low speed.
• Add in 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil, 2 tsp of vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 tsp almond extract and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. If you want to color these cake layers, add in the gel food coloring with the oil and extracts.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat on a medium speed for about a minute to make sure everything is properly mixed together. This also helps lighten the texture of the cake layers a bit.
• Fold 3/4 cup of sprinkles into the cake batter using a rubber spatula and mix until they're evenly distributed.
• Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
• Bake for 34-36 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the pans to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
• Place cake layers into the freezer for 45 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.
• Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the layers, then set aside. If you make these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.
• While the cake layers bake and cool, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.
• Beat 2 cups of unsalted butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth.
• Mix in 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt on a low speed.
• Slowly mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream halfway through to make the frosting easier to mix.
• Continue to mix on a low speed for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached.
• If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
• If you want to color the buttercream, add in the gel food coloring once the frosting is fully made.
• Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of frosting to make a separate color to pipe swirls on top of the cake. Place this frosting in a piping bag fit with a Wilton 1M frosting tip.
• Color the remaining frosting with gel food coloring.
• In this cake I used turquoise Americolor gel food coloring to make the blue frosting, and deep pink Americolor gel food coloring for the swirls on top of the cake.
• Stack and frost cake layers on a greaseproof cake board using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
• Add an even layer of buttercream between each cake layer with a large offset spatula.
• Spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake to fully cover the cake layers. Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
• Add a second, thicker layer of frosting to the cake and smooth using a bench scraper. Then decorate as desired! I used a Wilton 1M piping to pipe large swirls on top of the cake.

FUNFETTI BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Using a stand or hand mixer, blend butter until smooth & creamy. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and mix well. Add heavy whipping cream and blend well until full mixed in and desired consistency. Add sprinkles and blend well. Fill pipping bag and pipe onto cake or cupcakes.